The origin story: how a high school still life became a business

 

It started in high school art class. The previous group had left fruits and vegetables scattered across the work tables after their still life session, and something clicked: what if they were not just objects? What if they had somewhere to be, someone to love, and an outfit for the occasion? The idea to anthropomorphize them — to give them character, context, and personality — took hold and never let go.

Today, ART BY Studio Movellan is a fine art print studio run by Marta de Movellan, producing original colored pencil drawings of anthropomorphized fruits and vegetables printed on 310 gsm Hahnemühle German Etching paper with archival inks and hand-signed by the artist. Prints are available at artbystudiomovellan.com and on Etsy. Here is how it started.

 

What is ART BY Studio Movellan?

ART BY Studio Movellan is a fine art print studio specializing in whimsical colored pencil art prints of anthropomorphized fruits and vegetables, based in Austin, Texas. The artist, Marta de Movellan, draws each piece by hand before it is reproduced as a fine art print on 310 gsm Hahnemühle German Etching paper with archival inks. Every print is hand-signed by artist Marta and available in three sizes: 5x7, 8x10, and 11x14 inches.

 

How did ART BY Studio Movellan start?

The previous class had been given the task to draw a still life, the kind of foundational exercise every art student encounters at some point. But the previous student didn’t clean up after themselves, and Marta became inspired. She drew the fruit but also gave it a personality.

The apple did not just sit there looking like an apple. It looked like it had somewhere to be, an appointment, a social obligation. The orange seemed like it would rather be on a beach. The instinct to push past the surface of a subject and find the character underneath was already there, even if the vocabulary for it was not.

That instinct stayed. Years later, with colored pencil as her medium and a growing collection of characters in her head, Marta began building the series that would become ART BY Studio Movellan. The concept was specific: anthropomorphized fruits and vegetables, each one placed in a scene that tells a story about who they are. Not metaphors. Characters. People who happen to be produce.

What does "whimsical fruit art" actually mean?

It means the fruit has a life. In Marta's drawings, mushrooms arrive at the Kentucky Derby wearing proper racing hats (At the Races). A gin and tonic sinks into a hot tub after a long week (Hot Tub Gin). An apple in a white coat holds a stethoscope (Dr. Apple). A grandmother grape sits beside her grandchild raisin in a moment that manages to be both funny and genuinely tender, which is exactly what the Youth and Wisdom fine art print delivers.

"Whimsical" does not mean lightweight. These prints are detailed, precise, and made to last. They work in a kitchen, a home office, a living room, a nursery. They hold up over time because the drawing underneath them is real work: dozens of hours of layered colored pencil, building texture, light, and character one careful mark at a time. People explain these prints to their guests, and the explanation is always good.

 

Why colored pencil?

Colored pencil is a medium that rewards patience, and Marta has worked in it for years. It is capable of extraordinary subtlety: soft gradients, rich texture, a luminous quality that comes from building up thin layers of pigment slowly and carefully. The precise, time-intensive nature of the medium suits the subject matter. If you are going to draw a gin and tonic, luxuriating in a hot tub, and make it funny enough to frame, the details matter. The condensation on the glass. The way the light catches the bubbles. The unmistakable air of a very contented Saturday afternoon.

Each drawing in the ART BY Studio Movellan collection is an original, conceived and rendered entirely by hand by Marta before being reproduced as a fine art print. The colored pencil process is not a shortcut or an aesthetic choice for its own sake. It is the reason these drawings work.

Why does the paper matter for fine art prints?

A fine art print is only as good as what it is printed on. ART BY Studio Movellan prints are produced on 310 gsm Hahnemühle German Etching paper, a heavyweight, acid-free paper used by printmakers and galleries around the world. It has a subtle surface texture that picks up the character of the original drawing, holds color with depth and fidelity, and is built to resist fading and yellowing over time. Paired with archival inks, these prints are made to the same standard as works you would find in a professional gallery.

This is not a poster. It is a fine art print, produced with materials designed to last for decades.

Who buys ART BY Studio Movellan art prints?

Three kinds of people tend to find ART BY Studio Movellan, and they often overlap. Art collectors who want something original, handmade, and genuinely funny. Gift buyers who need something personal and specific: a print for the doctor in the family, for the grandmother who has everything, for the friend who cannot stop talking about gin. Home decor enthusiasts building a gallery wall that does not look like every other gallery wall.

What all three share is a preference for art that earns its place. The pieces in the ART BY Studio Movellan collection are not decorative filler. They start conversations. They get explained. They get noticed.

Where can I buy ART BY Studio Movellan colored pencil prints?

The full ART BY Studio Movellan collection is available at artbystudiomovellan.com, including fine art prints in three sizes (5x7, 8x10, and 11x14 inches) and notecard sets, including the Georgia peach notecard set and the Olive notecard set. ART BY Studio Movellan is also available on Etsy for shoppers who prefer that platform.

Marta also takes commissions. If you have a character in mind (a vegetable with unfinished business, a citrus fruit with a strong sense of personal style), she would love to hear about it.

What is next for ART BY Studio Movellan?

The collection keeps growing, one character at a time. Marta is actively working on new pieces. If you are arriving here for the first time, welcome. Start with the character who most feels like someone you know. There is probably one.